Worksheets

1. Introduction to Syntax

(Po2)

A. Consider the following sets of structures. Do they mean the same thing? Why?
1. Company management
- Management company
2. Magazine design
- Design magazine
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B. Consider the following structures. Are they acceptable in English? Why?
With anger
-beautiful girls
-very aware
With angry
-beautifully girls
-very recognize
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C. Consider the following structures. Answer the questions on each structure.
a. Is the word order of the structure acceptable?
b. What does the structure mean?
c. Is the meaning ambiguous? Why?
d. Make smaller group(s) from the structure.
Foreign language specialists
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b. ________________________________________________________________________
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d. ________________________________________________________________________
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The fish ate the cat.
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b. ________________________________________________________________________
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d. ________________________________________________________________________
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The tourist saw the astronomer with the telescope.
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b. ________________________________________________________________________
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c. ________________________________________________________________________
d. ________________________________________________________________________
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D. The conceptual structure underlies the surface structure. The surface structure is the string of
morphemes that construct a syntactic structure. Based on your answers to the previous
questions, in forming a surface structure of a concept, what factors are important in English
syntax?
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2.

Communicative Functions and Typical Patterns of English Sentences

A. Discuss the answer to the following questions.

1. What are four main functions of communication? What is their typical sentence pattern?
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2. Consider the clause Ann studies English. Can you use this pattern for different communicative
functions? What helps you recognize the functions?
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3. Make a mind map showing different functions of sentence constituents.

4. English has five typical syntactic sentence patterns (basic sentence patterns) based on the types
of the predicator. Make a table showing the functions of sentence constituents that exist in
each typical sentence patterns of English.

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B. Choose one of the following pictures.
1. In your group, make a chained story by having two turns for each member of the group to form
a sentence of one clause.
2. Segment your sentences into constituents and name their function.
3. Name the pattern of each sentence.

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5. ___________________________________________________________________________
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Exercises:
Do exercise 4 (28-29) and 5 (31).

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3. Types of Sentences: Different Internal Structures

Sentences can be classified based on the number and type of clauses that construct it. Fill in the blank
boxes in the mind map below showing the classification of sentences.

Sentence Types

Structure
Ind. C

1.

1. IndC + Adj C
2. Ind C + NC

2. Cor. C + Ind C 1,
Cor C + Ind C2.

3. Ind C + Adv C

1. IndC + dep C
+(coord) + dep C.
2. IndC dep C +
(coord )+ IndC.

3.

3. Ind C+ (coord) +
INd C + dep C

4. Ind C1; Ind C 2.

4.Ind C + dep C
(coord) Ind C + Dep
C

Ex. 8: In the following stream of words (adapted from Mark Twains Life on the Mississippi), set off
sentences with a period. How many sentences does this passage contain?

now when I had mastered the language of this water and had come to know every trifling feature that
bordered the great river as familiarly as I knew the letters of the alphabet I had made a valuable
acquisition but I had lost something too I had lost something which could never be restored to me while
I lived all the grace the beauty the poetry had gone out of the majestic river

Ex. 9/10:
a. Rewrite the sentences above with correct punctuations. Skip one line when you write.
b. Circle all subordinators, and set off all coordinators with square brackets.
c. Underline main clauses in each sentence above.
d. Set off the sentence constituents of the main clauses with slashes, and name the constituents.
e. Then identify the sentence type: simple, compound, complex or compound-complex.
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4. Sentence Types: Practice

Why they came east I dont know. They had spent a year in France, for no particular reason, and then
drifted here and there unrestfully wherever people played polo and were rich together. This was a
permanent move, said Daisy over the telephone, but I didnt believe it. I had no sight into Daisys heart,
but I felt that Tom would drift on forever seeking a little wistfully for the dramatic turbulence of some
irrecoverable football game. (The Great Gatsby Ch. 1)

A. Set off all the clauses in the paragraph and write them below. Classify the clause.

1. why they came east (Noun Clause because it is DO of P: know. It is constructed from an
information question: Why did they come east?)

2. I dont know ....... (Independent clause)

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4. _____________________________________________________________________
5. This was a permanent move (Noun Clause from that this was a permanent move; DO of said.)
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9. I felt .... (Independent Clause)
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B. Classify the sentences. Explain.

1. A complex sentence because it consists of one independent clause and one dependent clause.
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5. Verbs and Verb Phrases: Theory

Complete the following sentences.
1. What is the one and only function of a verb phrase in a clause? ........................................
2. Based on the verbs that construct it, a verb phrase can be ............................
(when it has no auxiliary) or .............................(when ........................................)
3. Based on the meaning it carries, a verb can be ...............................(a verb with lexical meaning)
and .................................( a verb with .................................. meaning).
4. A lexical verb can be intransitive, copula, or .........................................................................
5. An ............................... verb expresses mood (modals), aspect (perfect or progressive),
...................................., or helps form a question, ......................., or .............................. (DO).
6. Based on its elements, a lexical verb can be ....................................................................... or
.................................................................................................................................................
7. A multi-word verb may be ............................................ , ....................................................., or
.................................................................................................................................................
8. Based on its form, a verb may be .................................. or ...................................................
9. A finite verb is the one that ..................................................................................................
10. A finite verb can be ....................................... or ......................................................
11. A non finite verb may be .................................................., .......................................................,
................................................................, or ..............................................................................
12. All auxiliaries but .............. can co-occur in a verb phrase as in
must have been being written, must have been written,
must have written,
must be being written,
must be writing,
must have been writing,
must be written,
have been being written,
have been written,
have been writing,
is being written.
The order is always
1. ......................................
2. ........................................
3 .........................................
4. ........................................
13. Some verbs may have several senses, like BE, ................., and .............. They can be different
auxiliaries, as well as a lexical verb.
14. Only clauses with .................................. verbs can be changed into a passive construction. The
passive construction acts in two units: the .............................( change of .........................) and
clause (change of ...................................).
15. Participial form of verbs can be part of semi modals/auxiliaries (as in be supposed to, be allowed
to, be going to ), a ..............................................( as in was writing, was written), or an
..................................................... when it has been conventionalized (as in bored/boring,
tired/tiring, interested/interesting).
Before you do the analytical practice, make sure you can answer the following questions.
1. How can you distinguish a simple verb phrase from a complex one?
2. How can you distinguish a finite verb from a non-finite one?
3. How can you distinguish between a one word verb and a multi-word one?
4. How can you distinguish between a progressive BE and a passive one?
5. How can you distinguish between a participial verb and a participial adjective?

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6. Verbs and Verb Phrases: Practice

The following sentences form a paragraph. Analyze its main clause constituents. The first is done as
an example. For each P in each sentence, identify
a. The type of VP (is it a simple or complex VP?)
b. The type of each V (Is it a lexical or auxiliary verb? To what type does it belong?)
c. The finite verb in each P
Between two oval hills of pink granite there s
a small crescent of beach.
A
A
P
S
Between two .....granite
There is
a small ......beach.
P= is (a simple VP)
is : a lexical verb of intransitive type
: a present finite
The boys, wearing their bathing suits (as they never do on canoe trips but only around the camp
where they might be seen by girls), are doing their laundry, while standing up to their knees and
swabbing their wet T-shirts and underpants with yellow bars of Sunlight soap.

This only happens when they run out of clothes, or when the stench of dirty socks in the cabin
becomes too overpowering.

Darce, the counselor is supervising, while taking the sun on his already tanned torso and smoking a
fag.

Its forbidden to smoke in front of the campers but he knows this bunch wont tell.

To be on the safe side hes furtive about it, holding the cigarette down close to the rock and sneaking
quick puffs.

Read the following passage (first paragraph in A Hanging by George Orwell) and answer the questions
below.
1. Identify all VP in the passage.
2. How many elements construct the VP?
3. Is the VP simple or complex VP?
4. For each element that constructs each VP, identify its form and its type.
The first VP has been done as an example.
It was in Burma, a sodden morning of the rains. A sickly light, like yellow tinfoil, was slanting over
the high walls into the jail yard. We were waiting outside the condemned cells, a row of sheds fronted
with double bars, like small animal cages. Each cell measured about ten feet by ten and was quite bare
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within except for a plank bed and a pot of drinking water. In some of them brown silent men were
squatting at the inner bars, with their blankets draped round them. These were the condemned men, due
to be hanged within the next week or two.
No
VP/ (simple or complex)
Elements
Form
Type
1
Was (simple)
was
Past finite
Lexical verbintransitive
2
Was slanting (.)
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

To be hanged

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7. Word Class
Create a set of flash cards that review English word classes.
DIRECTIONS: You will create 20 flash cards. Each flash card will have one of the English word
classes on the front of the card. On the back of the card, you will include the definition of the term, its
classification (if any) and examples of its different uses. Decorating your flash cards is optional but
encouraged. Terms to cover are 1) Nouns, 2) Lexical Verbs, 3) Auxiliary Verbs, 4) Adjectives, 5)
Adverbs, 6) Personal Pronouns, 7) Possessive Pronouns, 8) Reflexive Pronouns, 9) Relative Pronouns,
10) Interrogative Pronouns, 11) Demonstrative Pronouns, 12) Reciprocal Pronouns, 13) Indefinite
Pronouns, 14) SO, 15) Coordinators, 16) Subordinators, 17) Prepositions, 18) Articles, 19)
Interjections, and 20). Numerals
WHAT I WILL BE LOOKING FOR: Understand my expectations; earn the grade you desire.
Presentation:
Are your note cards neat? Is your handwriting legible?
1 -------- 2 -------- 3 -------- 4 -------- 5 -------- 6 ------- 7 ------- 8 -------- 9 -------- 10
Incomplete

Missing Most Cards

Illegible

Very Sloppy

Acceptable

Very Nice

Superb

Information:
Are your definitions accurate? Are your examples correct?
1 -------- 2 -------- 3 -------- 4 -------- 5 -------- 6 ------- 7 ------- 8 -------- 9 -------- 10
Incomplete

Missing Most Cards

Illegible

Very Sloppy

Acceptable

Very Nice

Superb

Overall Effort:
Did you complete all of your cards? Did you use class time effectively?
0 ---------------- 1 ------------------ 2 ------------------ 3 ------------------ 4 ------------------ 5
Incomplete

Less than Half Complete

Poor Use of Class Time

Productive

Efficient

Bonus:
Did you put in extra effort?
0 -------------------------1 ---------------------- 2 ------------------------ 3
Nothing
Extra
Great Job
WOW
Total Points ____________
EXAMPLE
Front Side

Simple Sentence

Back Side
A simple sentence has just one clause.
Examples:
1. Mr. Morton walked his cat.
2. Pizza is delicious.
3. Greg and Bob studied and learned

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Pretend the italicized nonsense words in the following sentences are real words of English. Identify the
form class of each one, and state the morphosyntactic properties of each that lead you to assign it to a
particular category. (The asterisk shows an unacceptable construction.)
(1) a. The dog wugged the ball.
b. The dog is wugging the ball.
c. The dog likes to wug the ball.
d. The dog gently wugged the ball.
e. *The wug kicked the ball.
f. *The dog chased the wug cat.
(2) a. The tall blick sat by the river.
b. The blicks played in the park.
c. Mary sent a present to her favorite blick.
d. Sam is not a blick.
e. *Max blicked the cat.
f. *The blick animal ran away.
(3) a. A nork person walked by the car.
b. Mary is very nork.
c. *Sam norks.
d. *The nork called me yesterday.
(4) a. Li cat slept by the fire.
b. I bought li three interesting books.
c. Mary didnt like li one.
d. I dont care for li.
e. *Two li dogs barked at the cat.
f. *Sam lis every day.
(5) a. Max walked blishly down the corridor.
b. Max walked down the corridor blishly.
c. Blishly, Max walked down the corridor.
d. Sam did so extremely blishly.
e. *Pat is blishly.
f. *The blishly woman looked unhappy.
(6) a. Larry placed the book za the table.
b. Za the table Sam found his glasses.
c. *Za green book fell on the floor.
d. *I dont like za.
e. *Sam zas every day.
f. *Sam found his gloves za.
(7) a. Anna bought nace rare books.
b. I liked nace of them.
c. Nace left the party early.
d. I thought she bought too nace.
e. *Anna bought rare nace books.
f. *Sam naces every morning.
g. *The tall red nace fell off the shelf.

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8. Phrases

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9. Summary of Functions
Possible Functions in Clauses

Structure of Clauses

Structure of Clauses

Running Pattern
P

Doing/Seeing Pattern
P
DO

Being Pattern
P
SA

(A)

(A)

Buying/ Giving Pattern

P
IO/BO
DO

(A)

Buying/ Giving Pattern

P
DO
OA

(A)

(A)

Possible Function in Different Phrases

Structure of AdjP and AdvP

Structure of NP

AdjP or AdvP

NP
Det

Premod

Head

Postmod

Premod

Head

Postmod

1st Part Of
Discmod

Head

2nd Part Of
Discmod

Structure of VP and PP
VP
Aux

Head
PP

Head

Complement

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10 Different Levels of Analysis

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Count all words in your sentence.

Make a table with the same number of columns as that of the number of the words.
Provide about ten rows.
Write down all the words in each column in the last row.
Start your analysis from the analysis of the constituents of the Ind. Clause(s) by merging the
parts that you think belong to one constituents.
Identify the function and the realization.
Then, analyze the constituents of each realization of the IC constituent functions.
Do the analysis until all realization comes to word level.
Insert a column to the right for marking the order of the levels.

Do the analysis of the verse(s) you have chosen below.

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